Much as when the NPS revealed and opened up their environmental assessment for public comment, it is very important for everyone to take the time to submit comments to MoDOT with opinions on how this most dear of projects to St. Louis should proceed.

During the meeting, MoDOT engineers will be on hand to discuss several proposed alternatives for the Park over the Highway portion of the CAR2015 project, to include what the department believes is the preferred alternative. Engineers will also be able to discuss potential impacts of each alternative.

This meeting will allow the public to provide input, and comments, either directly to the engineers or in written comments, on the alternatives presented. This meeting is part of the process to complete necessary Federal requirements for the project.

Since there are no formal presentations during the public meeting, participants may attend at any time during the open house.

Update (April 9): Unsurprisingly, MoDOT has said that they are not considering the removal of I-70 due to the inability to complete such a project by the October 2015 deadlined imposed by CityArchRiver 2015.

Forest Park Avenue/Parkway dips under Grand and Kingshighway. Similiarly, it won’t be so bad for Memorial Boulevard to dip under the “lid.”

Still, I-70 should not become I-44. The soon-to-be-former I-70 should be largely rebuilt as an at-grade boulevard, especially where currently elevated. Where currently depressed, a “lid” could be the compromise.

Too bad arbitrary deadlines are keeping MoDOT from even considering the boulevardization of the highway.

Stlplanr

Which MODOT deadline? Regarding the NPS plans for converting ramps north of Pine Street to the opposite direction?

By the way, I’m not sure it’s so bad, if the highway keeps full control of access south of these targeted ramps. But instead of converting them, I would remove them, so that the four highway lanes of the depressed section instead become the exit to Washington Avenue. In other words, all traffic would exit (or transition to the boulevard) in this Pine Street/ramp vicinity, instead of reversing ramps.

Existing Memorial Drive could still function as the outer lanes of a multi-way boulevard within this transitional section between the Market/Chestnut “lid” and a large, gateway roundabout with Washington Avenue, the Eads Bridge, and the new boulevard there north, which would replace the elevated section of I-70 south of the new MRB.

Access to the section of Washington Avenue that descends to the riverfront could be maintained as an one-way continuation of northbound Memorial Drive. Such “diet” would also allow more on-street, metered parking along this shared edge between the Landing and Arch. Washington Avenue from the west (CBD) should also be put on a “diet” similar to how it functions today west of 11th (or 10th?) with more on-street parking and just a single travel lane in each direction. These Wash-Ave “diets” would also help a two-lane roundabout have more one-lane entry points that are easier for pedestrians to cross. Indeed, pedestrians may not cross on the depressed lanes entry, but instead, the northern legs of the full boulevard. However, the highway lanes ramping up from the “lid” should have rumble strips, flashers and deflection to provide added cues to motorists that their driving environment is changing.

Stlplanr

The proposed ramps in the new direction could instead be slower-design-speed slip lanes to the multi-way boulevard.

And to clarify, the roundabout would have splitter islands, so that pedestrians could cross only 1-2 lanes of traffic at a time. For motorists to yield to peds, it’s also best to place the crossing across entry lanes more than a vehicle’s length back from the circle, so that vehicles may first yield to peds, then yield to vehicles in the circle.

The “diets” would also be most important for the exiting lanes (prior post said entry), since entering vehicles yield to traffic already within the circle. If PM peak queues on Washington were a concern against the diet, a left-lane drop to northbound 4th and/or right-lane drop to southbound Memorial (channelized separate of the RAB) should be simulated.